A coalition led by American Veterans of Igbo Descent (AVID) has urged the U.S. to re-designate Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) over rising insecurity and targeted killings.
The call was made during a recent visit by the groups to Capitol Hill, Washington D.C., where they held discussions with members of the US Congress, advocating for action on Nigeria’s deteriorating human rights situation and pressing for the immediate release of the incarcerated leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.
It will be recalled that during his administration, former US President Donald Trump had designated Nigeria a CPC. However, the designation was reversed under the Biden administration.
Addressing the press after the Capitol Hill meetings, AVID President, Dr. Sylvester Onyia, said the delegation raised awareness about “the ongoing ethnic cleansing, religious violence, and systematic displacement of indigenous peoples” in Nigeria.
He accused herdsmen and bandits of targeting mostly Christian communities while the government allegedly fails to provide protection.
He also referenced the 2017 killing of 27 unarmed pro-Biafra agitators in Port Harcourt during a peaceful rally in support of President Trump’s inauguration, calling it “a massacre that has gone unpunished.”
Dr. Onyia emphasized that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been unjustly held since his abduction and extraordinary rendition from Kenya to Nigeria in 2021.
He insisted that Kanu “is not Nigeria’s problem, but part of the solution,” and urged immediate international intervention.
“Kanu has not harmed anyone. He has simply been vocal about the suffering of his people. His detention is a gross violation of international law,” Onyia stated.
Rev. Fr. Augustine Odinmegwa, another member of the delegation, criticized the British Government for remaining silent despite Kanu being a British citizen.
He described the current wave of killings as part of a broader genocidal agenda against indigenous communities in Nigeria, especially in the South East.
“The jihadists are grabbing lands and exterminating communities while the world watches. If urgent action is not taken, they will soon seize crude oil fields and challenge US and Western interests in the region,” he warned.
Rev. Odinmegwa also expressed alarm over a recent statement by Nigeria’s Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Adeola Ajayi, who advised Nigerians to defend themselves against bandits.
“This is proof that Nigeria is becoming—or has become—a failed state. When a top intelligence official suggests self-defense, it means the government has abdicated its core responsibility,” he said.
Kanu’s international lawyer, Bruce Fein, who joined the delegation, declared that Kanu’s arrest and detention violates at least 16 international human rights covenants.
“He was kidnapped and tortured in Kenya, and illegally renditioned to Nigeria. Since then, he has been in solitary confinement. The UN Working Group has already called for his immediate and unconditional release,” Fein said.
He added that Nigeria could face international consequences, including, sSuspension from the United Nations General Assembly (similar to apartheid-era South Africa), US-imposed trade tariffs and sanctions through Executive Orders and An arms embargo until compliance is achieved.
John Gregg, an American who spent two decades in Southern Nigeria, warned that inaction by the US could lead to a mass influx of refugees from Nigeria.
“If nothing is done, the South East will implode. Over 30,000 Christians have been killed or displaced in the last nine years. The US must act now,” he said.
The group also called on South East Governors and the Igbo diaspora to establish and support community-based vigilante systems.
They stressed the need for collective security efforts to compensate for government failure.
“The time for pretending that all is well is over. Every community must be protected,” said a member of the delegation.
Dr. Evans Nwankwo, another delegate, stated that the international community must act urgently. He cited the cases of Leah Sharibu and Deborah Samuel as further evidence of unchecked religious persecution and human rights abuses in Nigeria.
“Nnamdi Kanu’s warnings have all come true. Instead of listening to him, the Nigerian Government chose repression. The world must now step in,” Nwankwo said.
He praised the US Congress for the attention given to the delegation’s concerns and expressed optimism that the push to re-designate Nigeria as a CPC will succeed.
